DDR Airforce dress uniform

[Audie]

It's not much at the moment, really. Just the jacket for formal occasions, trousers, rank insignia and a great-looking wintercoat! For the wintercoat I got an extra pair of shoulder plates.

I do have a few questions:

1) should I also get a shooting cord? I'm not imagining this uniform as a parade uniform but as an 'evening wear' uniform for military parties etc.

2) what color should my shirt be? Or is it the same in evening dress as for parade, white shirt + grey tie?

3) the rank I got with this uniform is that of a Major. Could you advise me on some medals to wear with this? Nothing real fancy (expensive) though, I will happily settle for an average airforce officer who was promoted on the basis of seniority.

4) I also have an NVA reserve soldier medal. I presume this goes on the left side of the chest? Or is the right?

I would be very much obliged if you could find the time to offer me the answers to my newbie questions.

[iannima]

1) should I also get a shooting cord? I'm not imagining this uniform as a parade uniform but as an 'evening wear' uniform for military parties etc.

An officer does not wear a shooting chord on any uniform. If you refer to the more complicated officer shoulder chord, that uniform was worn in two guises: die KLEINER Gesellschaftanzug and die GROSSER Gesellschaftanzug. The difference is that with the latter you wear the shoulder chord, actual medals and carry the dagger hooked inside. The former has no dagger or shoulder chord and has ribbons instead of medals. Which one was used depended on the occasion, how formal etc. For an ordinary military party, I would suggest the Kleiner.

2) what color should my shirt be? Or is it the same in evening dress as for parade, white shirt + grey tie?

Correct

3) the rank I got with this uniform is that of a Major. Could you advise me on some medals to wear with this? Nothing real fancy (expensive) though, I will happily settle for an average airforce officer who was promoted on the basis of seniority.

I think at a minimum you will need the service medals for 5, 10 and 15 years of loyal service (ribbons or medals as per above) but I have recently seen footage of a Major with only 5 and 10 years of service. However he also had another medal which looked liked a Verdienstemedaillie. But this is up to you, how much you want to get into this. The service medals were pretty much automatic, I understand...

4) I also have an NVA reserve soldier medal. I presume this goes on the left side of the chest? Or is the right?

I don't think a serving officer would have worn that. I think it was given to conscript soldiers on the day of their discharge, at least I have seen footage of a ceremony that looked that way

[Audie]

thanks

Thanks very much, Matteo!

Ok, the KLEINER Gesellschaftanzug it will be then! Being a Dutchman, it sounds a lot cheaper and I just need the medal bar. Who knows, I may still get the other accessories one day.

The reason I bought an airforce uniform was because I thought the insignia looked pretty cool (the bird inside a wreath).

Regarding the NVA reserve medal: too bad, it's in mint condition (ah well)

ADDED question: did all military branches of the DDR Armed Forces use the same service medals? Or did the airforce have their own variation of service medal? Thanks in advance.

[iannima]

ADDED question: did all military branches of the DDR Armed Forces use the same service medals? Or did the airforce have their own variation of service medal? Thanks in advance.

As far as I know, they all used the same, except for the border guards in later years where the ribbons were identical but the medal had different writing. But for your purposes, they are all the same.

[Audie]

Well, that's great to hear.
Although all branches used the same models, there were quite a few design variatons for each 5-year period it seems.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Medal_F...E2%80%99s_Army

Just adding this in case it may interest you. Personally I think that's more interesting to hardcore NVA medal collectors.

[iannima]

You are right! That's more hard core that I can cope with Possibly because I have just done five hours of solid teaching, but merely scanning that webpage was sending me off to sleep ... Well for my purposes, what I have told you is enough. That is also true for your purposes though because the Gesellsachaftanzug is a late addition from the mid 1970s and therefore is later than most of those variations listed.

[Audie]

Here are some pictures I just took of my air force dress uniform and wintercoat. I also have the correct trousers but didn't bother photographing at this time. These pics are just to complement this thread. Please pardon the NVA reservist medal - the jacket looked so empty!

http://s268.photobucket.com/albums/j...1.jpg&newest=1

http://s268.photobucket.com/albums/j...2.jpg&newest=1

http://s268.photobucket.com/albums/j...3.jpg&newest=1

http://s268.photobucket.com/albums/j...4.jpg&newest=1